Break out the banjo: Blue Grass is coming to town. Blue Grass restaurant, that is. The former chef and general manager of Ryleigh's Oyster, Patrick Morrow and Jorbie Clark, will open the Southern-inspired eatery this month at 1500 S. Hanover Street.
Morrow, who has lived in Federal Hill for nine years, had been looking for a restaurant space for a while and jumped at the chance when the spot that once housed the Vine became available. Though the economy has not been kind to some restaurant owners, Morrow sees a business opportunity in the downturn. He's able to find plenty of qualified staff and get better deals on kitchen equipment.
"You have a lot of people hungry for work, " Morrow says. And a lot more people are willing to give you good deals because they are hungry to make a sale, he says.
Morrow also liked the spot in Federal Hill because it sits at the intersection of two major roads, Fort and Hanover, that should hopefully attract a lot of drive-by traffic. The business partners hope to capture Federal Hill's young professionals in their 20s and 30s, says Jorbie Clark. This is an age group that is not weighed down by a massive drop in their stock portfolio, Clark says.
"They still have disposable income and will still go out," Clark says.
Morrow and Clark both declined to say how much they are spending to open the 75-seat restaurant. Blue Grass will serve up contemporary American food, including Southern game and meat dishes. Pork chop with baked beans, crawfish hush puppies, and braised gunpowder short ribs reflect Morrow's culinary influences growing up in North Carolina and Texas. Entrees will cost between $19 and $25 and appetizers will cost between $6 and $13.
Sources: Patrick Morrow, Jorbie Clark, Blue Grass
Writer: Julekha Dash